The Iconic Logic of Peirce's Graphs

Book excerpt: A case study of multimodal systems and a new interpretation of Charles S. Peirce's theory of reasoning and signs based on an analysis of his system of Existential Graphs. At the dawn of modern logic, Charles S. Peirce invented two types of logical systems, one symbolic and the other graphical. In this book Sun-Joo Shin explores the philosophical roots of the birth of Peirce's Existential Graphs in his theory of representation and logical notation. Shin demonstrates that Peirce is the first philosopher to lay a solid philosophical foundation for multimodal representation systems. Shin analyzes Peirce's well-known, but much-criticized nonsymbolic representation system. She presents a new approach to his graphical system based on her discovery of its unique nature and on a reconstruction of Peirce's theory of representation. By seeking to understand graphical systems on their own terms, she uncovers the reasons why graphical systems, and Existential Graphs in particular, have been underappreciated among logicians. Drawing on perspectives from the philosophy of mind, cognitive science, logic, and computer science, Shin provides evidence for a genuinely interdisciplinary project on multimodal reasoning.